Gorgeous Nightmare
by Le Ciel Nous Aide
Summary: Loki is fascinated with the newest member of the Avengers. Will he fall prey to the weakness of caring about someone or will he try to deny his feelings to save his reputation? LokixOC
1. Chapter 1

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 1**

I was five when I discovered that I could control time. Well, more specifically, I discovered that I could speed it up first. I later found out that I can also slow it down and even time travel. It took a while before I learned how to do that stuff on command, though. I also have a perfect memory, which I believe goes with the territory of controlling time. I even remember being born and what my biological mother looked like, even though I was only a baby and it was for just a few minutes. What I mean by all this is that I am different. And different means that I just got an invite to join the Avengers. Today is the day I move to Stark Tower, where the Avengers live.

"Emma…please call us every day! We're going to miss you!" One of my fathers, Jason, said as he hugged me in a death grip. I have a gay couple as my adoptive parents, and I also have an adopted younger sister named Ashlyn. Honestly, I was happy to move out and live a life of my own – I would have a whole floor of Stark Tower to myself.

"Well, if it isn't the newbie," I heard Tony Stark's sarcastic tone reach my ears. I looked over to see him swaggering out of Stark Tower, named after him.

"I do have a name," I replied. "It's Emma." Stark nodded. He was studying me.

"Yeah, I know. You sure you can fight alongside us? You're scrawny and don't wear armor, right?" Stark said. I glared at him.

"My power doesn't lie in my strength," I snapped.

"I hope not or you're no help at all," Stark said. I saw Captain Steve Rodgers and Thor walk out of the building.

"What's all the commotion?" Steve asked.

"This is Emma. The newest Avenger," Stark introduced.

"What can you do?" Steve asked, studying me like Stark did.

"I can control time and along with it I have a perfect memory," I replied, running a hand through my light brown hair. "Now, I'd like to get all my stuff inside so I can relax." Thor, Steve, and Stark picked up most of my boxes and headed inside with them.

"You can go now, Dad. I'm all set," I told Jason. Corey, who I called Daddy, was in the car.

"Let's go, honey! We have things to do and it's not like she's gone forever!" Daddy said. Dad gave me one more hug and kissed me on the cheek.

"Bye, Emma. Be safe and don't get hurt!" Dad said before getting in the car. They drove away and I stared up at the massive Stark Tower. It was nothing like the two family house I lived in previously. I picked up the last two boxes and headed inside. I rode the elevator up to the tenth floor. I walked out onto the penthouse-sized floor and my jaw dropped. Everything was super ultra-modern and really sheek. I loved it!

"I'm guessing you like it," Stark said, smirking. Steve and Thor laughed. I blushed and closed my mouth.

"Y-yeah. It's incredible," I said. The wall opposite the elevator was all windows.

"You can unpack later. We're having dinner on Stark's floor tonight," Thor said in his really deep voice. "We rotate whose floor we have dinner on every night." I nodded and headed into the elevator with all three men. We arrived on Stark's floor and the doors opened to reveal Clint Barton, Natasha Romanov, Dr. Bruce Banners, and a girl I didn't know who had mousey brown hair and somewhat dirty clothes on sitting at a long table. A chick with strawberry blonde hair was placing food on the table. I knew that was Pepper Potts, Stark's girl. I sat down at the table in between the girl I didn't know and Steve.

"Hi, I'm Jane Foster," the girl said, "you must be the new Avenger Thor's been talking about." I shook her hand and nodded. Thor sat down next to Jane.

"Yeah. My name's Emma," I told her. "And who are you exactly?"

"Oh, I'm Thor's girlfriend," Jane told me, "So what's your power?"

"I can control time," I said quickly, stuffing food in my mouth so I wouldn't have to answer any follow-up questions.

"Really? That's so awesome!" Jane said. I snorted and continued eating.

"I didn't know that was your power," Bruce said.

"Yesh it ish," I said through a mouthful of food. I wasn't the type of person who liked all attention on me. It made me nervous.

"Like you can time travel?" Thor said. I nodded.

"Yes, I can time travel. I can also speed it up and slow it down. Now please let me eat," I said. It was silent for only a few minutes until somebody had to open their mouth.

"Your friends and family must be so happy for you," Jane said. No. I would not allow those memories to be dredged up.

"And why would they? My powers don't help them. They're sometimes more of a curse," I said quietly.

"What do you mean by that?" Barton asked.

"I'd rather not talk about it," I snipped.

"Please tell us," Natasha said. My hands clenched into fists.

"I don't want to. Please leave me alone it's been a long day," I said, "and my powers are somewhat of a curse but I don't want to discuss that now."

"I know what she means. Let's talk about something else if she feels uncomfortable," Bruce said. I mouthed _Thank you_ to him. I wasn't ready to discuss my past – I had tried so hard to block it out and I would not let it come to the surface until I was good and ready to discuss it with someone. I barely knew everyone here, and I didn't like people I didn't know very well knowing everything about me. It would make me feel vulnerable and exposed and I preferred to hide myself behind a wall that not just anyone could get through. Letting anyone in was always too painful. I finished my dinner and headed into the elevator without saying another word to anyone.

* * *

Loki watched the young female Avenger as she talked with Tony Stark. He had heard precious little about her, except that she was the youngest Avenger at only eighteen years old and she could control time. Loki smirked – that was a powerful gift to have, especially if he could have it on his side and not working against him. He wanted her on his side – he knew it would help him greatly, to have someone as powerful as him standing by him. But since he had lost his scepter that could bring people to his side, he knew he would have to be a lot cleverer to get Emma. Loki made the projection of himself that he used to watch Emma disappear. Loki relaxed in his hideout and began plotting how to trick Emma into joining him. _Just maybe I can win this time,_ Loki thought, _then people will actually respect me and think of me as better than pathetic Thor._


	2. Chapter 2

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 2**

I relaxed in my bedroom and watched TV after dinner. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with all the newness and decided to put off unpacking everything until tomorrow. Suddenly, I heard the elevator chime. I hopped off my bed and walked to the living room to find Jane standing just in front of the elevator.

"What's up? I kind of wanted to be alone right now," I told her, yawning and hoping to prove to her that I was tired.

"Are you all right? You ran off after dinner pretty quickly," she pointed out. I sighed.

"I'm fine. I just don't feel like explaining everything about my past because I've spent a long time trying to shut it out, which is nearly impossible to do with a perfect memory," I said, "but I'll be fine. I'm going to bed because I'm exhausted from moving. I'll see you in the morning." Jane looked at me like she had something on her mind.

"Okay. Have a good night then, Emma," she said quietly and left. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings by not telling her anything; I just don't feel comfortable talking about personal stuff with people I don't know very well. I collapsed on my bed and fell asleep almost the second my head hit the pillow.

* * *

Loki watched Emma fall asleep via a projection of himself. He waited a while to be sure she was deep asleep before teleporting to just outside Emma's bedroom window on Stark Tower. No one could know he was there; everyone thought he was on Asgard paying for his crimes. He looked through the window, wondering how heavy a sleeper she was. It wouldn't matter much; it would just make the job easier if she didn't wake up and see him first. Loki teleported himself into Emma's bedroom, where she had fallen asleep on top of the covers in her casual clothes – a black skirt with calf-length tights and a gray and black striped three-quarter sleeve top. Loki padded around the floor silently, looking for anything he could to gather information about Emma. He looked at all the boxes until he found a few that just said "Miscellaneous" written in sharpie on the side. After opening all of the boxes and going through them, he found something he knew would be useful: Emma's diary. Loki thumbed through it, noticing that it seemed to be filled with mostly bad memories. He smirked. _Perfect. All things that will be useful in breaking her mind and spirit so she will join me, _Loki thought. This was exactly the kind of thing he needed.

Silently walking back to Emma's bedroom after hiding her diary in his coat, Loki pulled out the syringe filled with a tranquilizer and crept up to her bed. Loki froze as Emma turned over in her sleep. He breathed a sigh of relief and plunged the syringe in her arm. He tossed the syringe on the floor, picked up Emma's limp body, and teleported both of them to his hideout in Asgard. When they arrived, Loki had only a few hours to come up with a way to prevent Emma from using her powers. He fashioned a cage out of magic that would suppress Emma's powers and placed her inside. Loki breathed out and sat down on the couch in his underground haven. He had done it. He had kidnapped one of the Avengers without getting mown down by the others and the Avengers would never be able to find Emma here. Pleased with himself, Loki decided to read through Emma's diary to see what he could use against her. There had to be a wealth of knowledge he could use. It appeared to be a diary kept since she was eleven. Loki flipped the pages until one entry caught his eye:

_April 10, 2010_

_Dear Diary,_

_ Today…I don't even know if I can talk about it. It was horrible. But I know that writing it out, no matter how painful, is the best way for me to forget about stuff – I hate having a perfect memory. I tried to use my time traveling abilities to save a friend from dying – I told them not to get in the car and drive because they would crash the car and die due to drunk driving. Instead, they got in the car with four other friends and one of the friends was drunk, too. They all died in the car accident that followed. I don't even…it's my fault. It's all my goddamn fault. I should've let things happen the way they were meant to. I'm a fuck up with weird powers who ends up causing more problems by trying to help people. I don't belong in this world and I'm definitely no hero. I don't know what to do because I don't have anyone to talk to about this…I just wish I was a normal teenager whose only problems were boys and acne. I hate my life…_

Loki noticed that the page was wrinkled as if it had been wet in spots at one point. _Emma probably cried while she was writing this entry, _Loki thought. He started to feel bad for her when he came to his senses. No, he would not feel bad for anyone. Her feeling bad for causing the death of people meant she was as weak as everyone else. Sentiment was a weakness Loki could not stand at all. It made people so vulnerable and Loki enjoyed not caring about anyone except himself. It was the only thing he liked about himself, though he would never admit it that it was the only thing he liked. Emma was pathetic for caring about a few human deaths that would mean nothing. Loki continued to read the diary and found more instances where Emma was deeply depressed because she had caused more problems by trying to fix one. He could see that she felt like her powers were a curse and she hated having them. Loki knew he not only had to break Emma but make her see that her powers were the best thing about her. That way she would want to use them.

Loki smiled as he watched Emma sleep on the floor of the cage. He hadn't thought to put a bed in; he wanted to see if not sleeping in a bed would break her faster from not being able to sleep very well. Loki closed Emma's diary and walked over to his bed, placing Emma's diary on the nightstand before shutting the light and going to bed for just a few hours.


	3. Chapter 3

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 3**

I woke up with my back in pain, and I was on top of something hard without any blankets. I remembered passing out on my bed – so why weren't there any blankets and why was I on the floor? I looked around me and squinted. White walls and bright lights surrounded me. There was a glass ceiling-to-floor window at the front, where a man dressed in a black and green trench coat, combat boots, and black hair slicked back and flipped out at the ends stood. He looked vaguely familiar, but I really couldn't place him. The man's striking emerald eyes locked on mine. As soon as that happened, every other thought exited my head. I decided to try traveling back in time so I could maybe get a handle on who this person was and get myself out of the cage. I closed my eyes, thought of the point I wanted to go back to, and clenched my fists in the air next to me. I didn't hear the familiar whooshing noise. Opening my eyes, I realized I had no success in time traveling for the first time. What was going on? I began to panic since my powers had never failed me before.

"I'm going to guess that you just figured out your powers are useless in that cage," the man said. I turned to look at him and noticed a triumphant look on his face. I was so tempted to wipe it off, but I was trapped in a cage without a current visible way out. I looked him straight in the eyes and my head blanked out again. Really?

"Don't know why you'd want to try using them anyway. It seems like your powers do not help others, but harm them," the man said, thumbing through a notebook. I squinted and was able to make out "Emma's Journal" drawn in rainbow colors on the front cover. Anger boiled up inside me and I started banging on the window of the cage.

"Give me back my diary, you fucking nosy bastard!" I shouted. "Who do you think you are, entitling yourself to my diary?" He smirked and laughed.

"I am Loki of Asgard," he introduced. I snorted. Now I knew who he was. I had talked to the Avengers before I started to live with them, and Thor mentioned his brother. Thor told me everyone thought he was evil but he really wasn't and just went down the wrong path. Since Loki had just kidnapped me and not killed me right off (which would have benefited him more because it would be one less enemy) I knew there had to be hope. I didn't like the thought of anyone being truly evil. I decided to piss Loki off.

"Oh, so you're Thor's reject brother who tries to be a badass when he's clearly not," I said crassly. Loki's face twisted in anger and he dashed to the glass, slamming against it with his fists. I noticed his eyes were brimmed with tears and I could see the hurt behind them. Good. There was hope for Loki. That's what I was checking for.

"I'm no reject. I am better than Thor," Loki snapped. "You're the one who has powers more suited for evil. You killed people instead of saving them." Tears pricked my eyes as the dam to those memories finally broke. I remembered trying to stop a girl from my class going camping because a bear would kill her. Instead, her family went without her, simply figuring she was too young and they all got killed except for the girl. I tried to save a boy on my street from getting hit by a car and becoming paralyzed while trying to get his ball – instead, he got hit by a different car when he tried to go back and get it a second time. That time he died. There were so many more painful memories flooding my mind. Why? Why had Loki ripped out the stitches of that massive wound? I started sobbing, but I tried to hide it from Loki. I couldn't hold it back. I tried.

"I'm not a monster," I said to myself mainly, "I had good intentions. I wasn't trying to kill people." Loki's laughter filled my ears.

"Oh yes, but even after you realized you made the outcome worse you did nothing to prevent yourself from trying to fix the situation in the first place," Loki pointed out, "and I know why. You're a selfish person just like me. You didn't want more pain if it failed, so you left things as they were figuring you'd get over it. You're no better than me." I looked up at Loki's smiling face and wondered why he was doing this to me. He was a monster – but I had to hold on to the memory of seeing tears about to fall in his eyes and the hurt I was able to see in his gorgeous green eyes. I knew I might not get a chance to see his emotions on his sleeve again, so I had to remember he was hurting too and that I could try to change him. I wondered why he kidnapped me and why he stole my diary.

"What the hell is your problem?" I asked vehemently, snapping around to face Loki. "Why'd you kidnap me and steal my diary?" Loki shrugged.

"You mean you don't know what a powerful tool you and this are?" Loki asked, holding up the diary. I stared him down.

"Of course I do. That's why I started the diary," I reminded him. "Of course, I kept it locked away at my old place. You were lucky to get it so easily." He started flipping through it, causing anger and hurt to well up inside me. Loki was invading my privacy. I felt exposed and vulnerable, knowing that I definitely was.

"You're a pathetic little girl who needs to grow up. Crying over every human death – that makes you so weak I want to just strangle you," Loki said.

"I'd give you more of a fight than you think I would," I said, "and I'll never become you. I care about people whether I like it or not. You act like you don't give two shits. Now that's pathetic because you really do care." Loki's face was emotionless.

"No, I really don't care," Loki denied. "And you could be the same way – human deaths only hurt you if you let them." I glared at the God of Mischief.

"That won't happen," I hissed, sitting down on the floor cross-legged and facing away from Loki. He had a whole notebook of dirt on me. That much was clear. I needed dirt on him so I could play his sick psychological game. I would find out his dirty little secrets – I was determined.


	4. Chapter 4

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 4**

*Meanwhile, back at Stark Tower…*

Jane woke up next to Thor, who was still sound asleep. She smiled at his soft snoring and moved a blond strand out of his face. She kissed him and watched as his eyes blinked open.

"Morning, my love," Thor said, kissing her hand. Jane giggled like a little girl. She loved how proper Thor was around her. Jane kissed him on the nose and got out of bed while Thor looked at her questioningly.

"Why the rush to get out of bed?" he asked, concerned about his girlfriend.

"Emma seemed really upset last night, so I want to go make sure she's okay," Jane explained. She didn't like how Emma seemed so eager to get away from everyone after how sad Emma got at the table. That wasn't a good sign. Jane didn't even bother changing out of her pajamas before heading to the elevator. Once inside, she pressed the button for Emma's floor. When the elevator doors opened, Jane saw a few of the boxes had been shuffled around and opened. _She must have started unpacking last night,_ Jane thought, _at least she did something to keep her mind occupied._ Jane relaxed a little before carefully making her way to Emma's bedroom, not wanting to disturb her if she was asleep. The bedroom door was slightly ajar, so Jane pushed it open all the way – and Emma was nowhere to be found. Jane took a look around the room and noticed Emma's purse with her keys and phone were still in the room, meaning she had not simply gone out. She noticed an empty syringe on the floor and felt her heart pound. Something happened to Emma.

Jane continued to look around the floor in case Emma was in the bathroom, but she really couldn't find her anywhere. Jane was scared she had done drugs and gone off where she wouldn't be found. Suddenly, Jane noticed something she hadn't before on the floor around the boxes. Footprints. They were too large to be Emma's – somebody else had been in here. Jane jumped when she heard the elevator doors open behind her. She looked over her shoulder to see Thor and breathed a sigh of relief. Thor looked down at Jane to see what she had been looking at.

"Someone besides Emma was in here. These aren't her footprints and she's missing. I found this on the floor of her room," Jane said, holding up the empty syringe, "and her purse with her keys and cell phone are still in her room. So she didn't willingly go anywhere." Thor's face looked troubled. He knew only one person who could get in anywhere virtually undetected and it wasn't someone he would want Emma to be with.

"So she was kidnapped," Thor said. Jane nodded uncertainly.

"I guess so. But who could get in here without leaving a trail of footprints to the elevator? It looks like whoever it was literally disappeared into thin air after taking her," Jane said, confused.

"I only know one person who can teleport himself in and out of places, and that's Loki," Thor replied, "and that's someone very dangerous to have kidnapped Emma."

"Well, we have to find them both. Where would he have taken her?" Jane asked, determined to find answers and to rescue Emma. Thor shrugged.

"I don't know. Loki was supposed to pay for his crimes on Asgard, but he escaped and nobody knows where he went," Thor explained, "he's been lying low for a while. This is the first move he's made."

"Well, let's alert the others. We have to do something," Jane said, hurrying to the elevator. She wasn't sure how long Emma had with Loki, so she decided to act as if she were on borrowed time.

* * *

Night had fallen and I knew I looked forward to another night of sleeping on the floor of the cage, under Loki's supervision. I knew I probably wouldn't sleep, at least not well. I sat on the floor and yawned, starting to feel tired. I rubbed my eyes and tried my best to stay awake – I had to keep a watchful eye on Loki.

"You're tired, yet you will not get a satisfying sleep," Loki mocked, grinning.

"I know. It's cruel to make someone attempt to sleep on the hard floor," I told him. He simply laughed at me.

"Of course it is. Did you think I was _nice_? I'm not soft like my brother," Loki said, relishing in my discomfort.

"Well, actually, you aren't evil or mean-spirited at all," I replied, "you pretend that you are because you're screwed up and figure it's easier to be cruel than to face your pain. I know you're hurting I saw it in your eyes." Loki stared me down and shot me the coldest glare I'd ever seen.

"I am not some pitiful being who is a slave to my emotions," Loki spat. Now it was my turn to laugh.

"Oh, but you are. You're hurting from the way that Thor was favored and you're also pissed that you never had a chance at the throne," I explained. Loki was one of the easiest people to read – he was literally an open book.

"The people of Asgard made fun of you and liked Thor better – and so you feel you had to be evil to get people to take you seriously," I said to him, "so yes, you are a pitiful being who is a slave to his emotions."

"You would do well never to mention that again and I will teach you a lesson for bringing it up now!" Loki hissed, teleporting himself into my cage. Now I could feel fear welling up inside me. My powers were useless in here, and I knew Loki was smart enough to make it so his powers would work. He had all his magic available to him and I had nothing. I was cornered. Loki towered over me as I felt myself hit the back wall. I hadn't felt fear like this in a long time, and I didn't like feeling it now. I felt helpless as Loki stared down at me.

"Wh-what are you going to do? I-I can still win even without my powers," I stammered unconvincingly. My voice didn't hold up the false bravado the way I wished that it had. Loki smirked, knowing he had a huge upper hand.

"Well, I won't kill you. But I will torture you and make you beg me for death," he stated, "and your cynical, false confidence ends here. You are an ant and I am the boot." My breathing rate increased as I watched Loki raise his hand and twist it. Suddenly, my whole body felt like it was burning, despite the fact that I wasn't on fire. Agony spread throughout my body and I knew it was Loki's magic. I screamed and tears streamed down my face. The pain kept increasing just as I thought it couldn't get any worse. It felt like a waterfall was running down my face from the tears and I couldn't stop screaming. Suddenly, the world blanked out.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: **Emma does not have a superhero name just yet; I was thinking of a way for her to earn it. Also, sorry I haven't updated in a while my boyfriend just had surgery to reattach the tendon in his right middle finger so I've been taking care of him and comforting him. Enjoy chapter five!

* * *

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 5**

Loki watched as Emma stared up at him with pleading, gorgeous blue-green eyes, screaming and crying in agony. As soon as Loki gazed down at her and their eyes met, a feeling he hadn't felt in a long time build up inside him. He knew exactly what it was, because he had been suppressing it for so long. Guilt. _She's just another pathetic human,_ Loki thought, _I shouldn't feel this way at all._ Loki wanted to continue with his magic, but he found that his mind wouldn't let him. _What's wrong with me? _Loki wondered. He looked at Emma and saw she was slumped on the floor, not moving. Loki knelt down next to her and gingerly placed his hand on her chest, which was moving. He breathed a sigh of relief. He was happy she was okay, and he was starting to get frustrated at the fact that he was having feelings of sentiment towards her. _I don't care about anyone except myself, _Loki tried to convince himself, _she is simply another pawn for me to control and use at my disposal._ Loki actually felt disgust at thinking about Emma that way. Scared at what his mind was doing to him, Loki stood up and held his head in his hands. He had worked too hard to block out any feelings of caring toward anyone to just let this one insignificant human break down the walls.

Loki remembered Emma was still on the floor, unconscious. He knew he had to do something to help her wake up and be more comfortable. Loki waved his hand and a bed appeared in the cage. Despising his inherent feelings for Emma, Loki picked up her lifeless body. Feeling her body against his caused Loki to shiver. She was so warm and he hated that he liked the way her body felt in his arms. He quickly placed her in the bed and pulled the covers up to her face. He made a chair appear using magic and sat down next to the bed, his head in his right hand. _I don't care about her at all, _Loki thought unconvincingly, _I don't, I don't, I DON'T CARE ABOUT HER. _But he knew he was fooling himself. He just had no idea what to do about it.

* * *

Jane tapped her foot impatiently while the elevator went up to Tony Stark's floor. Thor rubbed her back as the elevator doors opened. Stark and Pepper Potts were standing in the living room, both of them focused on the touch screen computer in the middle of the room.

"Tony, Emma's missing," Jane told him. Stark sighed, sounding inconvenienced.

"People in the tower have their own lives, Jane. She probably just went out somewhere," Stark said dismissively, going back to fiddling with his computer.

"No, she didn't simply 'go out'. Her keys and phone are still in her place. I found this in her bedroom and there are footprints that don't belong to her in the living room," Jane explained, holding up the empty syringe. "The footprints also do not go near the elevator at all."

"So, what? You think someone breached my security and got in here to kidnap Emma? Highly doubtful," Stark responded, turning to walk away.

"Loki can teleport in and out of places," Thor reminded Stark. Stark turned around.

"You think that son of a bitch kidnapped her? For what reason?" Stark asked. Jane wasn't sure exactly why he would take her. Then again, no one really understood Loki.

"I don't know, but that's what isn't good," Thor said, "he is sneaky and a talented liar."

"So you want to call the Avengers together to rescue her or something?" Stark asked.

"Yes," Jane replied, "she is one of you guys and deserves the same treatment." Stark rolled his eyes.

"Where was he last time anyone saw him?" Stark asked, "Because I last saw him going back to….wherever he and demi-god over here came from."

"Asgard. Asgard is where we hail from," Thor told Stark, who shot him a dirty look for correcting him. "And he was last seen on Asgard before he escaped from his jail cell."

"Oh good. So there's a crazy bastard running loose in Asgard, and you have no clue where he is," Stark said cynically. Jane and Thor looked at each other.

"Exactly. That's why you have to do something," Jane said, "you can't let him stay loose on Asgard." Stark snorted.

"How did I get involved in Asgardian matters?" Stark wanted to know. "Your boyfriend is the only one who can even get to Asgard unnoticed because he goes there a lot and he fits in. Word would most likely reach Loki if we all went. Launching a search party of us misfits in Asgard is not a good idea at all. We need a stealthier approach, which is why your boyfriend can go get him." Jane put her hands on her hips.

"You and Thor are the only Avengers who can fly, meaning it's easiest for you guys to do the searching on Asgard," Jane explained, "and four eyes are better than two."

"I don't particularly want to go to Asgard to search for someone who tried to kil me," Stark pointed out, "I have better things to do." Jane clenched her fists by her side.

"You're going. Loki needs more than one person facing him, especially since we don't know what he's done to Emma. He could have brainwashed her, and in that case both of you will be necessary," Jane said sternly.

"Go, honey. The newest Avenger is just as important as everyone else, and you definitely don't want her on Loki's side," Pepper said, touching Stark's shoulder. Stark groaned.

"Unlike blondie over here, I don't have any caring feelings toward Loki because he's not my brother," Stark said, "if I find him, I will kill him without hesitation." Thor shot Stark a glare.

"No. We will not kill Loki," Thor replied, "he is my brother and he is good deep down." Stark began laughing.

"It must be way deep down, because all I've seen is that he's a double-crosser and he's evil," Stark said. He and Thor were shooting daggers at each other with their eyes.

"I know him better than anyone else here," Thor said, "and he is not a lost cause. I won't give up on him. Now it's time to go to Asgard." Stark sighed.

"Fine. But if I get the chance to kill him, I will," Stark promised, walking away to suit up. Thor headed into the elevator with Jane.

"You really think Loki is able to be rescued from himself?" Jane asked. Thor nodded.

"Yes. I've known him since we were very young. He is merely confused, not evil," Thor explained.

"How do you plan on bringing out the good in him?" Jane wanted to know. Thor laughed nervously.

"I really have no idea," Thor said as the elevator opened to his and Jane's floor. Jane wondered if Thor was wrong, that Loki was beyond help. She hoped for Thor's and Emma's sakes that Thor was right.


	6. Chapter 6

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 6**

I blinked my eyes open groggily and quickly shut them because of the bright lights. I squinted and noticed I was laying on something soft. _A bed? No…Loki wouldn't do something like that… _I thought, but as my vision cleared, I could see I really was on a bed. I saat up and saw Loki sitting on a chair by the foot of the bed, his face covered by his hands. I was very confused.

"Loki?" I asked hoarsely. He kept his face in his hands.

"Yes?" he replied.

"How long was I out?" I wanted to know, stretching my arms and wincing. All my muscles were extremely sore from Loki's torturous magic. Loki shrugged, turning even further away from me.

"Maybe eight or nine hours," he said dully. Why was he in such a weird mood?

"Why the hell did you feel the need to put me through so much pain?" I asked quickly. It hurt to talk that much. Loki finally uncovered his face and looked over his shoulder at me. His eyes and nose were red and his cheeks glistened…with tears? Loki? Crying? Not what I was expecting at all.

"I had to teach you a lesson for insulting and mocking me," he replied without any emotion at all. I just stared at him.

"Not the tough, badass god you want everyone to think you are, are you?" I asked gently, hoping to appeal to Loki's softer side that I knew was hiding. Loki stood up, staring down at me with those mesmerizing green eyes of his. I couldn't deny that I thought he was really attractive – but he was extremely broken. I knew that's why he tortured me and felt the need to play with my mind. People like that were hard to repair.

"You know nothing," Loki hissed quietly before leaving my cage. I was angry that he tortured me and put me through so much physical agony, but I couldn't bring myself to hate him. I wanted so badly to know what was causing him to act the way he was. I wanted to help him, which was odd since I swore off helping people because I generally made things worse. But Loki was desperately crying out for help – and I was the only person able to have any contact with him right now, as the other Avengers hadn't found this place yet. I tried to stand up to follow him, causing me to wince and groan as I tried to get out of bed. As soon as I put my full weight on my feet, I yelped in pain and dropped to the floor. I couldn't even stand on my own. My overwhelming need to cry overtook me. Was this pain worth it to try to help someone who may be beyond it?

* * *

Loki stood in the bathroom over the sink, hating that he cried because Emma took so long to wake up and he was concerned he hurt her permanently. Why was he unable to control any emotions caused by her? He had controlled his other emotions with ease – but he couldn't with her. He stared at himself in the mirror and jumped slightly. _I look terrible,_ Loki noticed. _She saw me like this._ He knew cracks were appearing in the hard shell he had surrounded his heart with. Loki took a deep breath and focused on the reason he brought her to his hideout. _I wanted her as an ally, _Loki remembered, or at least he remembered his original plan was for her to be his ally. _Did I kidnap her for…a different kind of ally? Like…_ Loki didn't even want to finish that thought. He did not feel sentiment for anyone and wasn't going to start now. He did not need a woman by his side as a companion. But Loki couldn't help but wonder if that was the reason he kidnapped her in the first place. He had felt an unbreakable connection to her the first time he saw her, and he still hadn't been able to shake that feeling. He thought back to the memory of the day he first saw her.

_I gazed on the new girl as she talked with Tony Stark, the sight of the man making me groan. I could not forget the snarky comments he had thrown at me and I growled, wanting to go down there myself and rip his throat out. Instead, I returned my focus to the new Avenger, since I was here for her, not Stark. As soon as she looked over in my general direction and I saw her sparkling blue-green eyes, I felt an immediate connection to her. I was not a fan of it at all. I made an attempt to push the feelings towards the back of my mind. It was important for me to stay with the plan I had drawn up, and connecting with her was NOT a part of it. I needed her to help me take control of the nine realms. I was sure that was my intent for planning to kidnap her. I dispelled the projection I was using to watch her. She was mine as far as I was concerned, and when I wanted something, I stopped at nothing to get it. I tried to keep the feelings bubbling up in my head, but they kept pressing on me. Was I kidnapping her because I really needed her on my side or was the connection the real reason? I could not even be sure of my motives…_

Loki shook his head. It was silly of him to be so shaken up that he'd question himself, all because of a pathetic, mortal girl. She should not have any impact on his feelings, since he shut all feeling out a long time ago. Loki splashed his face with cold water from the sink and tried to push any feelings – any part of his…_connection_ with her – inwards, hidden behind the mental blockade he set up within himself. Suddenly, heard a _thud_ followed by crying. Loki immediately poked his head out of the bathroom to check on Emma – and wondered why that was his first instinct. He couldn't stop himself from walking over to see if she was okay – and he loathed every step he took. _Of course she's in pain, _Loki thought, _she deserved it._ But his mind nagged at him with guilt for what he had done to her. Loki was fighting an internal battle, and he wasn't sure which side would win. He was frightened of his own feelings, and this was uncharted territory for him. He did not have a clue what to do.

* * *

I sat sobbing on the floor when I saw a shadow loom over me and then shorten. I looked over to see Loki kneeling next to me. The longer my eyes rested on him the angrier I felt about what he had done to me.

"I'm in a lot of pain," I said, my voice cracking. His eyes flicked up to meet mine and bored right through me, no emotion reflected in them. I knew his shell was back, and that was bad news for me in my vulnerable state. I had to keep cracking that shell and focus on bringing out the emotional side of Loki, because if he kept up with this torture, I would go insane very shortly.

"You asked for it," Loki whispered dully, as if he didn't really believe what he was saying. I sat in silence, my witty, sarcastic tongue failing me for once. I decided to ask a touchy question.

"Are you really so broken that you have to cause me and so many others pain just so you can pretend you don't have any?" I asked him quietly. I saw his eyes flicker with an overwhelmingly strong emotion briefly before returning to their previous emotionless state.

"No. I cause others pain because it's fun," Loki said, a hint of sarcasm audible in his tone of voice. I was unsure if he had intentionally or unintentionally been sarcastic, so I didn't respond. I stared down at the ground and back at Loki. The moment our eyes reconnected, something unexpected happened. I got a brief glimpse into Loki's mind – how, I had no idea. The first thing I saw was a memory of what I assumed was Thor and Loki as children with Odin in front of them.

_"You were both born to be kings," Odin said, walking in front of the two boys, "but only one of you will sit on the throne of Asgard." _Then it felt like someone pressed fast forward on a dvd player. I saw Loki turning blue as he held onto a glowing, strangely ethereal blue box.

_"Am I cursed?" Loki asked Odin._

_ "No," Odin answered._

_"What am I?" Loki asked._

_ "You are my son," Odin replied. Loki turned around, his skin completely blue and his eyes red._

_ "What more than that?" Loki wanted to know. Odin remained silent. "The casket wasn't the only thing you took from Jötunheim that day was it?"_

_ "No," Odin said, "in the aftermath of the battle, I found a baby. Small, for a giant's offspring." Loki looked as if he was about to cry._

_ "Wh-why?," Loki asked._ In this moment, I saw Loki for who he really was – a lost child. His whole life, his whole identity had been thrown in a tailspin, and I couldn't even imagine how that would make someone feel. The memory continued.

_"You were abandoned. Helpless. I took you to –" Odin started but Loki cut him off._

_ "No. You took me for a purpose. What was it?" Loki asked determinedly. Odin remained quiet._

_ "TELL ME!" Loki screamed, tears brimming his eyes. _The amount of hurt reflected on his face in that moment made my heart twist at viewing his deepest emotions clearly spelled out in his expression.

_"I thought it would bring about a truce between us and the Frost Giants," Odin admitted._

_ "So I'm just another's stolen relic, locked up, here," Loki said, confusion and pain that could be felt, seen, and heard emanating from him strongly. "Now it makes sense, why you favored Thor all these years. Because no matter how much you claim to love me, you could never have a Frost Giant sitting on the throne of Asgard!" Loki snarled as Odin fell to the ground._

Suddenly, I was out of Loki's mind and I was back to looking at his face. He looked haggard with his hair a mess and bags under his eyes. It caused me to wonder what being evil was doing to him. Loki looked down at the bare, white floor. Had he seen into my mind too?

"So…you have been through a similar sibling situation as me," Loki stated.

"And you're…a lost and wounded child on the inside," I replied, not really knowing how to respond. Loki looked at me.

"You saw into my mind too?" he asked. I nodded. His expression was unreadable.

"What did you see?" Loki wanted to know.

"First, I saw you and Thor as kids and Odin was telling both of you that were born to be kings but that only one of you would rule Asgard," I explained. "The next memory…I believe it's one you go back to a lot. You were holding onto this weird blue box and you turned blue. Odin told you that you're adopted and all of a sudden it was like that changed the way you viewed your childhood and your life. I saw a lost child whose identity and life had been thrown into turmoil by this news. Of course, I don't know what Jötunheim is or who the Frost Giants are." Loki's gaze found me.

"That was quite some time ago," Loki responded, "I am not currently a lost child any longer."

"Yeah, you still are," I insisted, "you're still unsure of everything and you still don't know what you're doing. Now tell me what you saw in my mind." Loki sighed heavily.

"I will ignore that comment regarding myself," Loki said. I noticed he spoke a lot like Thor – they both spoke in a more formal style. "I saw you and your sister as children, thought it was many different snippets of her blaming you for all her bad behavior and you always got in trouble. I also saw you telling your parents you could control time, and the subsequent visit to the school guidance counselor, who you also told about your powers. From there you went to see a psychologist and you were very unhappy that no one believed you, especially when the psychologist suggested you take medication. Then there was a flash forward to when you were a teenager and you got your first…er…car…as you called it, and you were proud because you got it cheap and fixed it up almost brand new by yourself. Then I saw your sister getting her first car, which was pink and a convertible. I could tell by the look on your face that it was a really good car and you felt jealous because she got a better car handed to her." Rage and hurt were welling up inside me as I remembered that day. My bratty, spoiled younger sister Ashlyn got a brand new, custom painted, hot pink BMW 328i convertible on her sixteenth birthday. For free. My fathers paid for it. I had to buy my own car. That stung. A lot. Especially since my fathers knew how into cars I was.

"Yeah, my fathers favor Ashlyn," I told Loki. "It's not exactly a secret. She's what they wanted in a little girl." Loki stood up.

"Our pasts are remarkably similar, but yet we have each had a different outcome," Loki pointed out. My brows furrowed.

"Yeah. Because I will never be evil and I will never seek revenge on my parents. It's not worth it," I responded. Loki cocked his head.

"You would not know if it was worth it unless you tried," he said, turning away from me. I tried to stand up and immediately collapsed on the floor again. Loki turned back around and scooped me up off the ground. I couldn't help relaxing in his arms. He placed me gently on my bed and pulled the covers over me. I didn't know how long nice Loki would last, so I savored every bit of it while I could. I looked into his green orbs.

"Th-thank you," I stammered, finding myself very nervous meeting his intense gaze. I thought I saw the slightest smile cross his face before he disappeared from my cage. Loki wasn't evil and I knew that, especially after viewing some of his past. However, he was extremely broken and it would take a lot to repair him. I knew what the cost of helping someone as broken as Loki would be – fixing somebody like that left a part of you in them. Falling for Loki was the risk I would have to take to crack that hard exterior shell for good – and it needed to be cracked before he crossed the line of being beyond help. I would have to risk him possibly already being beyond help, but I didn't think he was. I just hoped I wouldn't have to sacrifice my allegiance to the Avengers in the process.


	7. Chapter 7

**Gorgeous Nightmare Ch 7**

*Back at Stark Tower…*

"Ready, demi-god?" Stark said, dressed in his Iron Man suit. Thor nodded once.

"Yes," Thor replied seriously. He kissed Jane. "I'll be back."

"I know. Go find your brother and Emma," Jane said, still concerned that they would find Emma dead.

"Heimdall! Open the way to Asgard using the Tesseract!" Thor bellowed to the sky from the top of Stark Tower. Stark snorted.

"Can this Heimdall really hear that?" Stark wondered. Thor just smirked at him as a hole in the sky began to open up. Thor recognized his home realm of Asgard beyond it. He started spinning Mjolnir in circles very fast and jumped up to fly into the hole.

"My turn now, I guess," Stark said, still not happy to be going to Asgard with Thor. He pushed himself off the top of the tower and flew towards the hole. Thor grabbed Stark's arm as soon as they were both through the hole and guided him towards the palace that was Thor's home on Asgard.

"We must go see my father first," Thor told Stark.

"As long as he's planning to offer me somewhere to charge my suit while we're here, I'm good," Stark said.

"That is why we must go to him. We have to see what help he can offer," Thor replied. Stark nodded once.

"Jarvis, I need you to start searching for Loki," Stark said to his suit.

"It will be a difficult task, sir," the voice in the suit responded.

"I don't care. Do it," Stark commanded.

"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied, beginning a scan for Loki on Asgard. Thor and Stark walked towards Odin's chambers in the palace.

"So do you guys just have an abundance of gold laying around or did you just waste it all on this palace?" Stark asked, looking around and noticing almost everything was gold in color.

"Asgard is very rich in resources and we would not waste something as precious as gold on a palace. It is simply a metal that is very strong and extremely common on Asgard that looks like gold," Thor answered.

"Huh. I just figured your royalty wouldn't have anything less than the real stuff," Stark said.

"Just because my father is royalty does not mean he is wasteful," Thor told him. They arrived at Odin's chambers and Thor knocked on the door.

"Father, it is me, Thor," he said loudly. Thor's mother, Frigga, opened the door.

"Oh, Thor, we've missed you!" Frigga said, giving him a hug. She looked over curiously at Stark. "Who is your friend?"

"Jarvis, open my mask and helmet," Stark told the suit. The mask and helmet parts opened and folded down into the suit to reveal Stark's head.

"I'm Tony Stark. One of thunder's friends from the Avengers," Stark replied.

"Yes. He has come here to help me find Loki," Thor explained.

"Why are you looking for him?" Odin asked from the back of the room.

"Father, he has kidnapped the newest member of the Avengers," Thor answered. "We do not know why, but we know it is not a good idea to leave her with Loki too long." Odin stroked his beard and paced. Thor knew that Odin was thinking about the best course of action. Thor hoped that he would offer some additional help.

"What is your plan to find Loki?" Odin asked.

"Stark and I will search for him and use the palace as a base for us to live as well as chart out where we have already searched," Thor said. "We can't have a significant amount of people searching for him or it will draw Loki's attention before he is even close to being found."

"I agree. The only help I will offer is I will command Heimdall to search for Loki using his gifts," Odin said. Thor nodded.

"We will begin the search now because the faster we find him, the better," Thor said.

"Go and find him, son," Odin said. Thor and Stark turned and walked out of Odin's chambers.

"So where do we start?" Stark asked.

"Anywhere. Our search will narrow if Heimdall can locate him, but I am not counting on that," Thor explained. "Loki has hidden himself from Heimdall's gifts before." Stark returned his mask and helmet to his head.

"Then let's go," Stark said and pushed himself off the ground and into the air. Thor followed by spinning Mjolnir and jumping up.

* * *

It had been a few days since Loki tortured me, and I hadn't seen him at all in that time. I didn't know where he had gone or if he was even still in the hideout. I wondered where he was and when – if – he would come back. I couldn't fathom why he would treat me so nice after he had tortured me and after the way he treated everyone on Earth with his army of Chitauri. I was good at reading people, and I had originally thought Loki was an open book, but he was surprising me. I couldn't always figure out what he was thinking, which for me was daunting. People usually were very easy to understand, but not Loki. _Where are you, Loki?_ I thought, but I noticed there was an odd echoing quality to it that my normal thoughts did not have.

_Who are you?_ Loki's voice echoed shakily in my head. I jumped, startled at hearing Loki's voice in my head. What just happened? _Emma? Is that your voice in my head? _Loki's voice asked. I didn't understand how to respond – I had talked to him by accident the first time.

_Um…maybe?_ I responded, directing it to Loki.

_Why can we communicate like this? _Loki's voice asked. I did not know the answer. I was just as confused as he was. Suddenly, Loki appeared in my cage and immediately wrinkled his nose.

"What smells?" he asked.

"I haven't showered in a while. How about you allow me to shower and get me clean clothes so I don't smell?" I suggested.

"I'm not letting you out of here," Loki said. "And don't try to distract me – I intend to figure out why our minds are seemingly permanently linked."

"Didn't say you'd have to let me out of here. Just do some magic and put one in here," I said, "and I'm not distracting. I'm curious as to why we can talk with our minds as well." Loki waved a hand, which was followed by a shower appearing at the back of the cage and Asgardian clothing materializing on the bed.

"You're really going to give me exactly what I asked for?" I replied questioningly.

"It really does smell terrible," Loki said, but by his tone of voice I knew he was using that as an excuse. I was very lost.

_Why can we talk like this?_ I asked him telepathically by accident. I had to learn to get the hang of this. _Is it an Asgardian thing? _Loki shook his head.

"It's not an Asgardian or Jötun thing," Loki replied out loud.

"Then…what's the reason for it happening only with you? I can't communicate with anyone else this way," I wanted to know. "Do you have mind powers?"

"I do not. Telepathy and mind-reading are not abilities I possess," Loki answered, taking a couple steps towards me. "You are the only one I can talk to telepathically and it's a bit annoying." Our faces were inches away and I looked up into his eyes. I saw into Loki's mind again and what I saw this time…really shook me. All of Loki's feelings hit me at once. I saw he was confused and scared about me because…he actually cared about me. And that was something he couldn't hide if he wanted to because I was looking into his mind, which he was used to being concealed to everyone. He could say what he wanted, but I now had proof that he wasn't incapable of caring about someone.

_So you do care about me, _I thought towards Loki. _Now I know you do care, whether you admit it or not._

"I DO NOT FEEL SENTIMENT FOR ANYONE!" Loki yelled. "Stay out of my head!"

"I wish I could! I don't control it," I shouted. I was suddenly aware of how bad my breath must be once Loki wrinkled his nose again – I hadn't brushed my teeth in a while. "And by the way, I need dental care shit as well if you don't want me to smell bad whatsoever." Loki magicked in a sink, toothbrush, and toothpaste next to the shower.

"Oh yeah, you DO feel sentiment, so stop pretending like you don't," I told him as I turned to go brush my teeth. I felt him grab my arm and I turned to face him.

"What?" I asked, annoyed that I was being kept from getting clean.

"You're right. I do feel for certain people, but usually I can block it out easily," Loki said, "I can do that with everyone except you. Any feelings caused by you I am mentally unable to block out." My jaw dropped a little because it seemed like Loki was being honest – but I also knew he was an exceptional liar.

"And how do I know you actually mean any of that, Loki?" I asked. "As Thor has said, you are a talented liar." I was feeling for him as well, but I could never tell him because I needed to be strong and not have any easily exploitable weak spots. Loki's grip on my arm tightened and he pulled me closer to him. I could see the emotions battling in his eyes – he didn't know whether to give up his false pretense that sentiment is weakness to admit to caring about me or to keep the pretense and deny his feelings.

"Prove to me that you actually mean what you say and that you aren't trying to manipulate me, like you've done to everyone else," I told him. He took my face in his hands and pressed his lips against mine, which I wasn't expecting. Even more unexpected, I was kissing him back and it felt like electricity spread throughout my body. A lingering tingling sensation stayed around my hips, and I wasn't sure why. Loki pulled away and we were both left breathless. I pulled up my shirt, curious about that tingling sensation. I looked down at my hips to see an intricate design of snakes wrapped around hourglasses, connected by vines that curled around my hips. It was a beautiful design, but I was confused as to where it had come from. Loki stared at my hips with his brows furrowed.

"Did this happen to you, too?" I wanted to know. He had more trouble manipulating his more complicated, Asgardian style clothing, but he eventually was able to lift up part of his – shirt? – and I saw the exact same design wrapped around his hips. They both looked like tattoos but I knew they weren't.

"That was not there before…" Loki stated.

"This wasn't on my hips either," I said. "What does it mean?"

"I…have no idea," Loki said. Why did these strange markings appear on us right after we kissed?


End file.
